From now through 18 February, the e-edition of Miss Wonderful, the first Carsington Brothers book, is on sale for $1.99. If you haven’t yet met the Carsingtons, here’s a chance to start at the beginning and start cheap. Or maybe this will make a nice Valentine’s Day gift for somebody.
Signed by Author books and an updated French edition
Readers have asked how to get signed copies of my books. If you’re unable to attend one of my book events, you might want to get in touch with a bookstore affiliated with it. For instance, Aesop’s Fable in Holliston, Massachusetts, has supplied books for the Ashland Public Library RomCons, and will be at the book celebration tea party on 25 January 2025. They have signed copies of many of my books and will be able to provide signed copies of My Inconvenient Duke (if you preorder and let them know). You can find relevant information here.
Aesop’s isn’t the only bookshop. I recently signed copies of Lord of Scoundrels as well as bookplates at the Book Club Bar in Manhattan and at the Ripped Bodice bookstore in Brooklyn, NY. These are lovely bookshops, and if you’re in the New York area, you might want to drop in. Otherwise, you might want to give them a call for a signed copy or a bookplate.
If I’m invited to sign books elsewhere, I’ll update.
Lord of Scoundrels cover with “Signed by Author” sticker.
In international news:
It’s been years since I’ve received a print copy of one of my international editions. Apparently, they’re not doing that much anymore. However, my French publisher, J’ai Lu, recently sent me a lovely surprise—updated covers for the first Carsington Brothers book, Miss Wonderful. It’s so interesting to see the different interpretations and styles, and I think J’ai Lu does a beautiful job.
Cover of French edition of “Miss Wonderful”
Not Quite a Lady $1.99 deal
As I’ve mentioned in various interviews, though I’ve always loved English literature, I had some issues with it. Why did strong-willed women so seldom triumph in those 19th century novels I loved so much? Why were smart, strong women objects of derision in books and plays? Why were they always punished for, say, having sex or having brains? Even women writers couldn’t seem to help punishing the most interesting women characters for being… interesting.
A few of my books have been reactions to this. Well, maybe all of my books, but some had specific inspiration in Great Literature. Daphne in Mr. Impossible. Cassandra in Ten Things I Hate About the Duke. And then there’s Lady Charlotte in Not Quite a Lady.
Lady Charlotte was my reaction to Lady Dedlock in Bleak House—which by the way happens to be one of my favorite Dickens novels. Favorite or not, it seemed to me that Dickens did not do right by her. Even before I began to write my own novels, I saw how easily her story could have come out differently, and still remained true to elements of the book. But maybe that wouldn’t have gone down well with Victorian audiences, or maybe the author had his own issues. (Oh, he certainly did.) Lots of reasons. In any case, Lady Dedlock was the starting point for Lady Charlotte.
While these two women characters do have one thing in common, their stories are not the same. Not Quite a Lady, the fourth book of the Carsington brothers trilogy (I know), is on sale for $1.99 for a limited time. I don’t know how limited, but if you’d like a copy, for yourself or as a gift, I pray you make haste, as my characters would say.